Day 3: Christmas Eve Gift Celebration

Happy Christmas Eve everyone!! This was the view from the room I'm sharing this morning. We made it to Sibinal, Guatemala late last night. We're close to 9000 ft above sea level. Sibinal is also roughly 15 km from the Mexican border into Tapachula, Mexico.

Early this morning we woke up and met with Aldo's church choir. They were meeting us because they have been a crucial part of our team. Without the help of the church choir Aldo and I would have been unsuccessful in the completion of our objective. We met outside of a beautiful church and began making gift bags for the children. Below, you will see our team participating in putting the bags of Chritmas goodies together. You will also see most of the articles which were placed inside the gift bags. 

By 0900 we had loaded the truck and were ready to go. We were meeting the children in a centralized location about an hour away from Sibinal deeper into the mountains. The plan was to be conviniently placed so the children and their parents had easier access to our location. Even then, many families walked for more than an hour to get to where we were. They wanted their children to have Christmas gifts. 

Once we arrived to the centralized village many children and their families were already waiting. We could feel the children's excitement as they ran behind the truck and tried to climb into the back. I was fearful we had miscalculated and that there would not be enough gifts. Suddenly the 250 children seemed more like 500. Aldo and the church choir seemed so confident that everything would work out that it inspired me to relax and enjoy the moment. Below are pictures of the truck full of toys and of the children when we first arrived. 

We began unloading all the toys and I thought the church choir would begin handing them out, but I was mistaken. All of the choir members had a talent show planned for the children. Each member seemed to be in sync with the other and they put on an unforgettable presentation for all of the children. The children received nutrition classes, dental hygiene lectures, sang songs, participated in reading competitions and there was even a puppet show that I think I enjoyed more than the children. Something happened to me during the talent show which I had not felt for a long time; I was enjoying the puppet show so much I forgot I was an adult and an outsider and I became part of the crowd of children. I know this because I was laughing and clapping and had to force myself back into the adult world. Below are some pictures of the event. 

The church choir made a difference today in how engaging they were with the children. It was finally time for gifts! The children were told to make two lines, one for boys and the other for girls. I thought the children would behave obnoxiously and try to shove their way to the front. I was taken aback by how respectful and orderly they were. On several occasions I observed as the older children allowed the younger children to move ahead of them without fighting. I was very impressed by the high standards these children had. I knew some of them had walked miles to get their Christmas gift yet here they were, giving up their spots to the younger children. 

Below are pictures of children receiving their gifts. Only kids who were currently going to school received back packs and a water bottle. All of them received socks, reading/coloring books, fortified powder milk, corn flour, dental hygiene kit, and a ball. 

All the children received a bag of goodies. Actually we had left overs! So we are planning a second trip to a different village on the 26th. After the children received their gifts, I noticed that none of then were playing with their balls. They were protecting their bag of goodies and held it close to their bodies. I tried to get a them to play but only very few children actually took their balls out of their bags. They were certainly happy, just very caring and careful that they're gifts did not get damaged. Below are pictures of the children with their gifts. 

I wanted to share one last thought. Toward the end of the afternoon the children were asked if they wanted to express their feelings of gratitude toward our group. The children who shared graciously thanked us for the gifts. One child in particur stuck out above the rest, he thanked us like all of the rest but also added, "I would also like to thank the people in the far away country who gave their money so we could have Christmas gifts; please work hard not to forget about us (translated)."

Thank you all who made this day possible by your monetary contributions or your moral support. Many people like to talk the talk but few actually walk it. Your kind and generous donations brought joy to over 250 children today. Merry Christmas to all! Please feel free to share your thoughts, remarks and questions. Once again, thank you.